Thursday, February 18, 2016

Hello beloved football family
I'm sure you all have noticed but I've been quite absent from the soccer scene lately. I've got a job, I'm still running Give for the Game and next month I leave for a 15 day stint in Greece assisting a Seattle based organization with relief work on Lesvos. I'll be traveling as a humanitarian with the sole mission of helping refugees passing through in any way I can.
On that note, Soccer Boss is being put on hold. I made two Tacoma Stars matches this season (hopefully three plus playoffs!!) but I've missed a whole Puma season, the growth of Olympic Force, a Sounders Season, and some days I glance at the Swiss Super League table and can't even remember the last time I looked. This is not a goodbye, but as I stand here at a crossroad in my life I want to say thank you to each and every one of you for what you have contributed so far.
To the players, thank you for your dedication to the game, your dedication to the fans, your love and enthusiasm. You make the game. For me soccer has never been about the sport, it's been about the people who play it. No matter where our paths have crossed, it's been an honor to witness a piece of your career and a piece of your story. Thank you for sharing that with me. I consider all of you dear friends and I wish you the best in whatever adventures life throws at you. I hope it brings you the same joy I witnessed every time you stepped on to the pitch.
Fellow fans, it's been a wild ride. There's nothing better than taking in a match with good friends. The fan community here is like my family. You've all stepped up to make me feel so supported and loved not just in the soccer-related areas in my life but in every challenge I've tackled. Because of friends like you, I've never felt alone. It amazes me how people who are all so different and under no other circumstances would even become acquainted have grown to be such great friends.
Coaches- I've seen a lot of you at work over the years and you are the glue that holds it all together. Many of you have gone above and beyond to make me feel welcome and to make your team available to me as a writer and photographer. I love these soccer players like family- I worry about them quite often and I want the best for them- it makes me grateful to know that they're in good hands.
So I hope you join me on my next adventure. I can assure you footy will be involved as will the regular doses of laughter and shenanigans. I'll see you all in the stands!
Much love

Other Writing by Madi

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The Soccer Boss

When I was eight years old, I watched my first professional soccer match. I don't remember much, but I know it was an EPL match most likely featuring my stepdad's beloved Liverpool FC and I know that I was very bored watching twenty-two men run back and forth and keep missing the goal. I understood the concept of soccer, I had played since I was six but watching was a whole other story. Now, eight years up the road, I can't go a day without watching or playing soccer. Soccer is my world. Everything I know today is soccer. My friends, my family, my school schedule, revolve around soccer. Eight years later, a hobby has turned into an obsession, a curiosity has turned into a craving for more knowledge on the game and a simple result from a weekend fixture will dictate my happiness for the 5-6 days until the next one. I hope to share my outlook on the game and present to readers some of the information I have stored in my brain. Sometimes it will be funny, sometimes it will be sad, sometimes it will be confusing and a lot of the time it will plain suck but I hope that readers will exit out of this page knowing something they didn't know before and hopefully having their perspective of the American teenager slightly altered. Cheers!